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Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perception Of Socioeconomic Status And Effects On Instruction, Kristen A. Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a small but diverse suburban school district, the gap in mathematics performance between economically disadvantaged and economically nondisadvantaged students was slowly widening as evidenced by state test scores. The purpose and key research questions of this instrumental case study were designed to (a) identify what Grades 6, 7 and 8 mathematics teachers perceive the role socioeconomic status plays in ability to learn mathematics and to (b) understand what teachers believe affects their perceptions of students' ability to learn mathematics. The conceptual framework guiding this study was social reproduction theory. The nine participants were middle school (i.e., Grades 6, 7 …

Physical Activity And Dietary Interventions For Adolescent African Americans In Mississippi, Tanga Deson Hart Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American (AA) adolescents have higher rates of obesity than many other ethnic groups, which increases their risk for obesity-related diseases. Culturally sensitive obesity preventive interventions have been unsuccessful, resulting in a steady increase of obesity among AA adolescents. AA adolescents in the southern region of the United States are at a higher risk for obesity and physical inactivity; knowledge and understanding of causative factors remains limited. To identify the impact of programs, a systematic review of the literature focused on structured physical activity and/or dietary education interventions in Mississippi. The ecological framework was used to guide this study. The …

Nursing Knowledge On Pressure Injury Prevention In The Intensive Care Unit, Yanick Jacob

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 60,000 hospital patients die each year from complications associated with hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs). Pressure-injury rates have increased by 2% within the past decade as life expectancy has also increased due to high cost in Medicare. Evidence shows that the incidence of pressure injuries (PIs) in healthcare facilities is increasing, with high rates of occurrence in intensive care units (ICUs). At the clinical site for which this project was developed, multiple in-services had been provided to staff regarding PIs, but uncertainty persisted about how knowledgeable the nurses were. This project, using the Academic Center for Evidence Star Model of …

Physical Activity, Healthcare Use, And Medication Use In Diabetes Patients, Julie Kwon Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical Activity, Healthcare Use, and Medication Use in Diabetes Patients

by

Julie Kwon Evans

MS, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 2013

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Psychology

Walden University

November 2019

Associations Between Healthcare Utilization Factors And Diabetic Retinopathy Among Adult African Americans, Olusina Adesanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes mellitus (DM) and complications that include diabetic retinopathy and its disease and socioeconomic burdens. This study examined the relationships between diabetic retinopathy and health care utilization factors, such as gender, DM comorbidities of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and health care access, among sampled African Americans with DM in the United States. The Andersen health care utilization model was the framework for the study. In this correlational cross-sectional study, data from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey datasets were analyzed. Results of complex samples logistic regression showed that there were no significant associations …

Influence Of Educational Equity Policies On High School Graduation Rates For Black Students, Vincent Kiriza Chirimwami

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The achievement gaps between White and Black students remain prevalent in American public schools. To resolve the problem, many school districts have developed equity-centered practices to improve high school graduation rates. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether the (a) duration of exposure to educational equity policies, (b) percentage of economically disadvantaged students, (c) percentage of students with disabilities, and (d) percentage of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students are predictive of high school graduation rates for Black students in large school districts. This study was grounded in Schneider and Ingram’s social construction of target populations theory. Archival data of …

Effects Of Increasing Education For Clinicians On Stress While Treating Pressure Injuries, Roscelyn Garner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous healthcare professionals researched the effects of treating and healing pressure

injuries within long-term care facilities. This study was conducted to explore the stress clinicians face when treating pressure injuries in the long-term care setting. This qualitative study provides information for the need to educate nurses about treating and healing pressure injury. It was derived from a phenomenological study that incorporated real life perspectives of individuals responsible for treating and healing pressure injury. This study was guided by Castles and Ferguson’s conceptual framework related to employee perceptions on pressure injuries, employee level of education and knowledge about improving quality initiatives …

Mental Health Counselors’ Experiences In Personal Counseling, Torrie Gilden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In various aspects of the counseling profession, instructors, supervisors, and colleagues often recommended that their fellow counselors engage in personal counseling for professional development and personal wellness. However, the existing literature has yet to explore the lived experiences of mental health counselors in personal counseling. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of mental health counselors in personal counseling. Purposeful sampling was used to select 7 licensed mental health counselors in a Northwestern state. Data collection methods included semistructured interviews in person and via Zoom, an online video conferencing format. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was …

Effects Of Maternal Obesity On Preterm Birth And Birthweight, La Tosha Headley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for neonate low birthweight among reproductive women. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association between 3 categories of obese status (moderate, severe, and very severe) and low neonate birthweight and preterm birth among women ages 18 to 39 years at all socioeconomic levels. Secondary data were obtained from 141,859 women ages 18-39 years living in the United States who had participated in the 2012-2015 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Social-ecological theory was used to guide the study, and binary logistic regression was used for the analyses adjusting for …

Effects Of Teach-Back On Children’S Treatment In Parents With Low Health Literacy, Marion Ines Kopulos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy (HL) skills are necessary to understand the context of medical information provided to patients in all settings including the emergency room. People with low health literacy (LHL) have difficulty comprehending and implementing basic tasks such as understanding medication administration. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study guided by Orem’s self-care theory was to determine the effect of using the teach-back method for discharge instructions compared to standard written instructions based on parents’ learning style and HL skills assessed during their visit to the emergency room. The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) tool was reworded to assess the parents’ HL. A …

Development Of A Tele-Healthcare Clinical Practice Guideline For Diabetic Patients, Kathy J. Montgomery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of access to healthcare in rural communities has resulted in increased morbidity and mortality rates among diabetic patients. The problem identified in this project was the lack of access to healthcare among diabetic patients living in rural southeast Ohio. Tele-healthcare is a strategy that provides healthcare remotely and has been introduced into the rural setting and offers an appropriate healthcare delivery mode for the rural community. The purpose of the project was to develop a tele-healthcare clinical practice guideline, including smart phone applications, for the management of diabetic patients. An expert panel consisting of 2 advanced practice nurses in …

Patient Awareness And Knowledge Of Medically Induced Radiation Exposure, Travis L. Mann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The level of knowledge and awareness among patients about the concepts and implications of medical radiation is unknown. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to explore patients' awareness and knowledge of information regarding this topic from their perspectives. The health belief model provided the framework for the study. A total of 20 individuals were recruited using purposive sampling. All participants were above the age of 18 in central North Carolina and had undergone or are currently undergoing medical radiation exams. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed using Yin's 5-phased cycle, which involved compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, …

Mental Health Service Providers' Engagement Experiences Of Homeless Individuals, Tarsha Thomas-Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited literature exists regarding best engagement practices of mental health service providers in encouraging the homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services in New York City. New York City has a population of more than 8.5 million, and in 2017 more than 129,803 homeless individuals slept in shelters. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to gain more insight and knowledge about the best engagement practices and experiences of mental health service providers in encouraging homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services. The conceptual framework used to guide this study comes from Kearsley and Shneiderman's …

Health Awareness On High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, And Risk For Cardiovascular Disease, Innocent Bibi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 25% of the annual deaths in the United States and represents a major public health burden, as patients often require screening and lifestyle changes related to multiple risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if there was a statistically significant association between high blood pressure and high cholesterol awareness (prevention and management) and cardiovascular health outcomes (angina pectoris, coronary heart disease, and heart attack). The theoretical framework that guided this study was the health belief model. Data from adults over the …

Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover In Public Schools, Peggy Teresa Proctor-Matos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The oversight of systematic approaches to reducing voluntary employee turnover decreases educational institutions’ budgets and performance. In the United States, public schools spend over $2.22 billion annually in voluntary employee turnover costs. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The population consisted of 3 leaders from 1 public school located in Georgia, with successful experience reducing voluntary employee turnover. The conceptual framework for this study was grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and organizational documents and artifacts. Data were analyzed …

Relationship Between Preparedness Training And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity In Combat Veterans, Charles F. Snay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past decade, the military has deployed approximately 1 million members into combat, and a factor that plagues the military veterans returning from combat is the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A factor to examine is preparedness training before combat because the research has shown that postcombat resilience training has been effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD. Using the social cognitive theory, the purpose of this study was to determine whether self-reported preparedness training before deployments was related to lower severity of self-reported PTSD. Based on prior research, age and gender are other variables that this study examined. …

A Phenomenological Study Of Lived Experiences Of Transport Nurses Experiencing Patient Death, Joshua B. Wall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Experiencing a patient death can directly affect the well-being of health care professionals; however, this phenomenon and the effects of patients' deaths are not well understood in the transport setting. Transport nurses work in unique settings with complex patients and significant autonomy in determining the plan of care; therefore, the experiences of other health care professionals may not be applicable in this environment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of transport nurses who have experienced patient death using Husserl's life-world and phenomenological philosophies as a theoretical framework. Semistructured interviews were completed with 8 transport …

Factors That Influence The Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetes Among Aboriginals In Canada, Olayinka Awoyemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this study was on potential social determinants of health factors that influence the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the general population of Canada, with emphasis on the disproportion in rates of the disease between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations of Canada. This study also examined the risk factors that are peculiar to the general, Aboriginal, and non-Aboriginal population of Canada. A total number of 101,080 individuals who were 18 years and above provided data for this study. The data and information obtained from these participants were used to answer the major research questions regarding if there was …

Investigation Of Posttraumatic Growth On Health Behaviors With Self-Efficacy As A Mediator, Annissa Pellicano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has been accumulating on the positive outcomes that people may experience following trauma. However, scholarly literature is deficient in the area of investigating the association among centrality of event (CE), posttraumatic growth (PTG), and health behaviors of women with histories of sexual trauma. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to (a) determine the extent of the relationship between CE and PTG, (b) explore the relationship between PTG and health behaviors (i.e., drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and physical activity), and (c) to determine whether general self-efficacy (SE) mediated these relationships. The theoretical frameworks used to inform this …

African American Women's Experiences And Understanding Of Secondary Infertility, Claudelle Parchment

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of African American women with secondary infertility, defined as an inability to conceive or carry a baby to term after a previous conception. Research on secondary infertility has ignored the prevalence of the condition in African American women. The implications of secondary infertility in African American women have immediate and far-reaching health and psychosocial consequences. African American women rely on interconnectedness and social networks; therefore, social networks and social support served as the key concepts underwriting the study's conceptual framework. Social networks and social support underscore the connection …

Educating Medical--Surgical Nurses To Improve Nursing Knowledge And Understanding Of Health Literacy, Heather Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low health literacy levels put patients at greater risk for poorer compliance and access to care, which leads to worse patient outcomes. Nurses must understand health literacy to improve health literacy for their medical surgical patient population. It is necessary for a formal education program on this topic. The purpose of this project was to increase medical surgical nurses' awareness and knowledge of the importance of health literacy and to introduce the REALM-SF tool to assess a patient's literacy level, allowing a nurse to better individualize the education provided to the patient. Lewin's change management theory was key in the …

Kindergarten Reading Readiness And Developmental Indicators For The Assessment Of Learning, Terry Lynn Wood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The acquisition of early childhood literacy skills is a predictor of academic success in elementary education. In a local school district, 22% of children entering kindergarten were assessed as having a gap in their reading readiness skills (RRS) based on their pre-K scores on the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL-4). The average kindergarten beginning-year difference on the Reading Baseline Inventory (RBI) between the students with a gap and students without a gap was 15 out of 100 points. The purpose of this quantitative research was to examine the change between fall and spring RBI scores of kindergarten …

Hemoglobin A1c And The Development Of Heart Disease In African American Men, Heather Walzel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several studies have been conducted that link poor control of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to an increased risk of heart disease. However, there are limited published studies that link HbA1c and heart disease based on ethnicity and gender. To address this gap in literature, the purpose of this study was to assess the association between HbA1c and heart disease in African American males (aged 30-64 years old) while controlling for education, income, and access to care. The research questions were focused on establishing an association between HbA1c values and heart disease in African American men through the lens of the health …

Importance Of Perceived Social Support For Black Mothers Of Preterm Babies, Anita Lynn Brentley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social support represents a network that provides for family, relatives, and friends and is an important predictor of future health and well-being. A knowledge gap exists in the literature regarding a need for social support for Black mothers of preterm babies. This qualitative study explored the perception of social support for Black mothers of preterm babies in Southwest Ohio. The phenomenological method of inquiry was used to gain an in-depth understanding of social support Black mothers receive after preterm birth. The social ecological theory provided a framework for understanding how individual, interpersonal, community, organizations, and policy affect a Black mother's …

Relationship Between Race, Gender, And Elder Abuse Awareness, James Earl Burrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of elder abuse awareness and underreporting is an increasing problem in the United States in that only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse is reported. The failure to report incidents of elder abuse and suspected elder abuse allows further abuse of elders and for elder abusers to go unpunished. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to understand the relationship between race, gender, and elder abuse awareness and fill the gap in elder abuse literature. Research questions tested mean differences between race and gender, respectively, and elder abuse awareness. The theoretical frameworks for this study were the …

The Influence Of Food Choices, Eating Habits, And Body Image Of African American Mothers On Childhood Obesity, Debrua Perniece Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The food decisions, dietary patterns, physical activity, and weight-related convictions of African American mothers are affected by their self-perceptions and views of body weight. The gap in the literature regarding the impact of these perceptions on children's food choices, eating habits, and body image is significant. Using the health belief model as the theoretical foundation and a cross-sectional survey as the research design, this study assessed the potential relationship between mothers' and children's eating habits and whether mothers' perceptions of their children's body image were reliable indicators of childhood obesity. Eighty-six mothers provided demographic information and completed the Child Feeding …

Residential Counselor Turnover: The Effects Of Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, Environment, And Self-Care, Kristine Edmonds

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most youth receiving care in residential treatment centers (RTCs) have experienced significant childhood trauma and require intensive mental health treatment to recover from their traumatic childhood experiences. Staff turnover is one factor that can negatively affect outcomes for these children and adolescents. Understanding factors that predict the turnover of professional counselors providing counseling to youth in RTCs can help counselors, supervisors, and counselor educators address barriers to staff retention. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between the turnover of professional counselors providing counseling to youth in RTCs and their perception of the work environment, …

Nurses' Perceptions Of Patient Encounters During Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery Education, Traci Edwynne Cullins-Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many researchers have suggested positive patient-health provider relationships can positively impact patient outcomes. A few focused explicitly on bariatric weight loss surgery (BWLS) professional-patient interactions. This study is significant because BWLS is a recommended tool to combat obesity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of BWLS education nurses regarding their patient encounters. This mixed methods research study used an online survey combining quantitative Likert scale questions and open-ended qualitative questions, with social cognitive theory as the theoretical foundation. These explored viewpoints relate to their patient relations expressed by a health professional. Health professional beliefs incorporated into …

Association Of Social Support And Patient-Provider Communication And Medication Adherence, Laquasha Arenese Gaddis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of hypertension in African Americans is the highest of any population in the United States, and this population also demonstrates lower rates of adherence to mediation. Social support and patient-provider communication have been considered as reinforcing factors to help hypertensive patients achieve optimal blood pressure control. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of social support and patient-provider communication and medication adherence for hypertensive African American men and women. The study was guided by the theory of reasoned action. This study was conducted to determine whether social support and patient-provider communication was associated with medication …

Patients' Perceptions Of Diet-Only Therapy In The Prevention Of Diabetes Complications, Cornelia Emmanuel Inyang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Type 2 diabetes is linked to many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic kidney failure. African American adults have a high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes with early onset of diabetes complications. Poor dietary behavior is the primary cause of Type 2 diabetes and its complications, changing dietary behaviors can prevent the onset of diabetes complications or impede existing ones. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore patients' perceptions of diet-only therapy in the prevention of diabetes …